Frederick Sleigh Roberts (1st Earl Roberts)

Saved a cavalryman and seized a rebel standard under gunfire

Frederick Sleigh Roberts was born at Cawnpore, India, on 30 September 1832, into a family with a long military connection to the subcontinent. After training in Britain, he was commissioned into the Bengal Artillery in 1851 and arrived in India in 1852. His early service brought him into close contact with the North-West Frontier and, in 1857, into the fighting of the Indian Rebellion. He served with the force before Delhi, where he was wounded, and later took part in the relief of Lucknow.

On 2 January 1858 at Khudaganj, Roberts was attached to the cavalry division pursuing rebel forces after an engagement. He saw a Punjab Cavalry trooper in danger of being killed by a rebel sepoy. Roberts wheeled his horse between them and struck the attacker down with his sword. Moments later, he spotted two men carrying away a standard and galloped after them. He cut down the man carrying it and took the standard; the second rebel fired a musket at close range, but it misfired. Roberts was awarded the Victoria Cross for both acts and received the decoration from Queen Victoria at Buckingham Palace in 1859.

The award marked the beginning of a long career as a soldier and military commander. Roberts served in campaigns in Abyssinia and Afghanistan, including the 1879 advance on Kabul and the 1880 march from Kabul to Kandahar. He later commanded British forces in South Africa during the Second Boer War and served as commander-in-chief in India and, briefly, as commander-in-chief of the British Army. Made a field marshal in 1895, he remained an influential public voice on military preparedness after retiring from active command.

In November 1914, aged 82, Roberts travelled to France to visit Indian troops serving with the British Expeditionary Force. He caught pneumonia and died at St Omer on 14 November. He was buried in St Paul’s Cathedral.

Victoria Cross citation

On 2nd January, 1858, at Khodagunge, Lieutenant Roberts, when in pursuit of the enemy, saw a Sowar of the 2nd Punjab Cavalry in danger of being killed by a Sepoy, who was aiming a blow at him with his musket. Lieutenant Roberts immediately went to his assistance, and cut down the Sepoy with his sword. A few minutes afterwards, he saw two of the enemy running away with a standard. He pursued them, and cut down the one who carried the standard, which he captured. The other man turned round and fired at Lieutenant Roberts, but the musket missed fire.

Sources

National Army Museum. “VC group awarded to Field Marshal Lord Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts of Kandahar, Pretoria and Waterford.” Online Collection, accession no. 1963-10-73-1-1.

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. “Roberts, Frederick Sleigh, first Earl Roberts (1832–1914).” 1927 supplement.

Victoria Cross and George Cross Association. “Frederick Sleigh Roberts VC.” Biography and Victoria Cross citation.